Maturity testing device



y 23, 1940- M. BILLMAN El AL 09 020 MATURITY TESTING DEVICE 2-Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1939 l ENTORS- LM B/LLMAN 74.5. DEG/P007 ATTO/P/VEYS y 23, 1940- L. M. BILLMAN Er AL 2.209.0

MATURITY TESTING nsvrcs Filed June 22, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Warm LMB/LLMA/V A. 5 0E GROUT I A TTOR/VEYS Patented July 23, 1940 lUNI'TEDSTATES PATENT o1=1* cs 2,209,020 MATURITY TESTING DEVICE v ApplicationJune22, 1939, Serial No. 280,598

1 Claim. (01. 26512) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April. 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This application is made underthe act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, andthe invention herein described and claimed, if patented," may bemanufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States ofAmerica for governmental purposes without the payment to us of anyroyalty thereon.

This invention relates to a device for use in determining the maturityof certain food prod ucts, such as corn, particularly canned corn.

Heretofore the maturity of canned corn was determined by individuals whowould chew a sample of the corn. The individual chewing this samplewould determine from its taste and resistance to crushing the grade orquality of the sample, based upon his past experience with othersamples. It is obvious that such a method is very imperfect, dependingtoo much on the I corn, particularly canned corn, the force re-.

quired to shear a disc from the skin or pericarp of the kernel is afunction of its maturity. The present invention, accordingly, comprisesan apparatus designed to shear the skin of the food product and, at thesame time, record the force required to accomplish the shearing. Bythese means maturity may be determined without in any way involving thehuman element, and the determination is reduced to a purely mechanicaloperation.

The following description, considered together with the accompanyingdrawings, will fully disclose this invention, its construction,arrangements, combinations, and operations of parts and further objectsand advantages thereof will be apparent.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of a section along the line 4-4 of Figure3.

Referring with more particularity to the draw ings, in which likenumerals designate like parts, the device is mounted on asuitable framestruc ture comprising a hollow base section 5 mean upright support 6secured on the base section. A vertical sleeve housing "I is bracketedto the upper end of the support 6, substantially as shown, and a tube orcylinder 8 is slidably engaged with said sleeve housing 1. A rack gear9, preferably diagonally cut, is secured in a vertical position to thecylinder 8 and meshes with a pinion H3 fixed to a shaft H rotatablycylinder 8, substantially as shown, the upper end being fixed to the rod[4 and the lower end to the end plug 15 of. the cylinder 8.

The lower end of the rod l4, extending through the plug I5, is securedto a punch bar I? by means of an adjustable alignment link-nut joint I8.Said bar ll is slidably engaged with a vertical sleeve housing I9secured to the upright V 6. The end of the punch bar I! is provided witha punch 20, preferably circular in cross section, and substantiallyone-sixteenth of an inch in diameter so as to duplicate as closely aspossible the largest unitary contact surface made with a human set ofteeth. Beneath the punch 20, a die 2! is fixed on the base section 5,and is adapted to register with the punch 20. The opening in the die 2!extends through the thickness of thetop of. base section 5 so thatsheared pieces, after each operation, fall below into the hollow portionof the base section.

On top of the cylinder 8 a gauge 22 is adjustably mounted by means of alug bracket 23 slidably engaging a threaded stanchion 24 and held inselective positions by two knurled head adjusting nuts 25, 25. Theactuating plunger 26 of the gauge 22 forceably abuts the rod 14.

The operation of this invention is as follows:

it will be understood that the application of force on the product beingtested is made from the cylinder 8 to the rod l4 through tension in thespring I6. Consequently, the greater the resistance to shear encounteredin the sample being tested, the greater will be the displacement betweenthe rod l4 and the cylinder 8. This displacement is a function of. thetension of spring l6 and it is measured by the gauge 22, which is adisplacement type gauge calibrated for the spring I6. By providing thegauge 22 with a maximum indicater 27, the maximum force required toshear through the sample is readily obtained and may be translated intomaturity grades based upon empirical findings.

The function of the eccentric bearings i2 is to take up any lost motionwhich may develop between the rack 9 and the pinion i0, due to Wear.This is accomplished by an adjustment consisting of turning the bearings12 so as to throw the pinion ll] toward the rack 9 sufficiently to takeup this slack.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: r

A device of the character described comprising a base section, a die onsaid base section, an upright support fixed to said base section, asleeve housing fixed to said support, a cylinder slidably engaged withsaid sleeve housing, a rack on said cylinder, a pinion on said supportmeshed with said rack, a rod coaxially disposed in said cylinder andextending through the bot tom thereof, a punch member fixed to the lowerend of. said rod adapted to register with said die, means for guidingsaid punch in line with said die, a coil spring mounted within saidcylinder concentric with said rod, the upper end or said springbeingfixed to said rod and the other end to said cylinder, means formeasuring relative displacements between said rod and said cylinder, anadjustable support for said means, said support being carried by saidcylinder, said measuring means having an actuated member engaging theupper end of said rod and normally holding said spring under tension.

LOYDE M BILLMAN. ALFRED E-. DE GROO-T.

